Town looks for help to remove collapsed wharf

GEORGETOWN, Maine (NEWS CENTER)-- Town officials in Georgetown are hoping for some outside help, after an old fishing wharf collapsed into the Kennebec River.

The old Tibbetts wharf at Bay Point fell Monday night. Neighbor Brent Perow told us he heard the crash. He said the wharf was very old, and had been leaning a bit before the collapse.

No one was hurt, and no oil or other pollutants got into the water.

Georgetown Harbormaster George Dufour, however, is worried that the debris from the wharf will pose a threat to other docks or boats if it floats away. Perow, who also has his own lobster dock a short distance from the collapsed wharf, said he has already seen some large timbers floating.

The harbormaster said the family that owned the wharf does not have the money to remove it.

A Georgetown selectman said the cleanup would probably have to be done by barge, and could cost as much as a hundred thousand dollars. The selectman said he did not believe local taxpayers would want to foot the bill.

Georgetown will look to the Coast Guard or the state for help. The Maine Dept. of Environmental Protection said it does not have a program to pay for removal of the wharf, because there is no pollution risk to the environment.

A Coast Guard spokesman said the agency will ask the Army Corps of Engineers to determine if the debris poses a hazard to navigation. If it does, federal money might be available for removal.

The wharf is located at the mouth of the Kennebec River, across from Fort Popham and Popham Beach.